Library Guides: Digital Scholarship & Initiatives: Project Management

Digital Project Management

Workflow for TUL Digital Collections
DLF Project Managers Toolkit A crowdsourced collection of information, tips, techniques, and tools for project managers working in digital libraries.
Library Special Collections Digital Project Toolkit (UCLA Libraries) Designed to support a variety of digital projects that may occur in a special collections library, including collaborative digital humanities projects, boutique and large-scale digitization projects, and projects that include development of a digital platform to provide access to digital content.
Digitization Cost Calculator Collects and make freely available a large set of data on the time it takes to perform various tasks involved in the digitization process, in order to assist organizations in digitization project planning and benchmarking.
Crowd-sourced Charters and Values Statements for Digital Scholarship Work A Project Charter articulates in writing the purpose, objectives, and expected outcomes of the project. It is a working document and should be updated throughout the project’s progress. Writing the project charter should be collaborative effort among the project team, and revisions to the project charter and timeline should be reviewed and signed off by all project team members.

Project Management and Communication Tools

Digital Production is of the view that whatever communication or tracking tool will be used and embraced most by all collaborators is the right tool. This means that different communication and tracking tools will be appropriate for different projects and partners.

Microsoft Teams: Used for project-based communication, task management, documentation file management.
- - LAL and TUSC have dedicated teams set up within the app. Each LAL and TUSC project becomes a channel within their team.
  - Other contributors (unless multiple projects are expected) will be set up with a team, and project work will occur in the General channel.
  - Work not requiring CA access to Microsoft Teams will happen in a dedicated channel within the Tulane Metadata Group team.
Box Cloud Storage: Used to manage and process metadata and object files while projects are in process. Allows for collaborative work on files, and has Desktop application that allows DSI to batch process, rename, move, copy, and otherwise manipulate project files as needed.
Project Charter Document: Narrative and flexible document used throughout project's lifecycle to outline project roles, responsibilities, tasks, and deadlines in early planning stages, track production benchmarks to measure success during and after project, and document lessons learned and recommendations for similar future projects.
RACI Analysis: Assignment matrix for project deliverables, roles and responsibilities.
Airtable: Relational database program used by DSI, primarly by Digital Production Librarian to track timelines/deliverables of project portfolio.
Notion: Project management program used in specialized cases including form management, relational databases, and note keeping.
Emails: Used sparingly for project-based communication as needed by partners and collaborators, as access controls are limited and communication threads can be broken easily.
Meetings: Both in-person and remote meetings are useful when efficient and necessary; especially kickoff and planning meetings at project start. If necessary to work out project issues or to alleviate roadblocks, partners and collaborators may meet with DSI on an intermittent, regular, or as requested basis.

Documentation

DSI Box
The central cloud-based file management location for the Digital Scholarship & Initiatives Department. File access is restricted to DSI staff and approved affiliates.